Some comments to the Raritan items from #78

Newspaper with stamps

The stamps are added and the cancel is forged.

Postcard with overprint and added stamp

And the enlarged fragment

Those cards are not too uncommon since Serebrakian produced a lot which he sent to his brother in Tiflis. This card goes to batum and makes a good impression at first. An added 20 Kopek stamp was usually used to make up the 50 Kopeck tariff. But a closer look raises some concerns. A late April usage is rare. Especially when used with small size framed Z overprints. The ink/color of the framed Z is totally different from the genuine ones. The Aleksandropol cancel looks not bad but I could not find the nick in the outer ring above the “k” of Aleksandropol in any of the other imprints of this cancel in my collection. The Romeko signature has been forged and as this is not a safe sign.

I have serious doubts about this item. A deeper analysis requires the item itself, a scan is not enough.

Serebrakian Letter

Detail

This one looks like the typical Serebrakian covers.

Framed Z on 1 Rubel stamps – group

All overprints are fake (D.1d)

Romanov stamps cover

I wonder why there is no enlarged fragment of the stamp area. Probably because the overprints are fake. At this time a letter would need at least a 50 Rubles franking.

The rest

There are also several really nice items listed. I especially like the Paris issue book of errors – at a moderate starting price.

Take care with the overprinted Romanov and War charity stamps. I have seen forged overprints and cancels there.

I do not like the collection. A first look showed a lot of forged overprints and stamps (pictorial issues).